Working Together to Help Lizzie Succeed

December 1, 2015

Lizzie is an eighth grader at Blevins Middle School. She is the oldest of three siblings and is on the autism spectrum. She lives in a single parent home, and her dad is juggling going back to school and raising his family. Because of her special needs and her dad's busy schedule, Lizzie could use some help with academics, focusing, social skills, and boundaries.

Recently, Lizzie was partnered with Jamie, a mentor with Partners Mentoring Youth (PMY). Jamie is also an employee of B.A.S.E Camp. She was connected with PMY via United Way's collaborative partnership focused on keeping kids on track to graduate. "I love mentoring because I get to work in a one-on-one setting with an older age group that I don't get the chance to work with at B.A.S.E. Camp as much," said Jamie.

Both Jamie and Lizzie are excited to be a part of this partnership and to see it grow.

Lizzie looks forward to meeting with Jamie every week. When asked what her favorite part about meeting with Jamie, Lizzie responded, “It's the best part of my day! Jamie is beautiful!” She likes everything about meeting with Jamie, and gets to do fun things with her.

Since being partnered with Jamie, Lizzie has started setting goals to address some of her needs. "Our partnership is very new, but I hope to work on developing better social skills and hygiene skills," said Jamie.

The Kids on Track collaborative group is just one of United Way's partnership groups dedicated to working together in new and innovative ways to address the root causes of poverty in Larimer County. The community partners in this group, including PMY and B.A.S.E. Camp, work together to find long-term, lasting solutions to problems that hinder local children's success.

It was during these discussions that PMY and B.A.S.E. Camp recognized the opportunity to work together to meet their organizational needs in order to support local youth. B.A.S.E. Camp employees are encouraged to volunteer, and PMY had mentor needs in their School-Based Program. By referring B.A.S.E. Camp employees to PMY, kids like Lizzie have access to mentors and support they might not normally receive.

Thanks to the work of United Way's Community Impact Partners, including PMY and B.A.S.E. Camp, local organizations are better able to help kids like Lizzie succeed in school, work, and life.

Click here to learn more about how you can support United Way's Community Impact Initiatives.